Category Archives: Interviews

This title sounds like it could also double as a children’s book…but the illustrations would be disgusting and decidedly UN-kid-friendly, so I’ll keep it as a blog post only. The idea for this blog post came to me about a month ago when my husband had what appeared to be a jalapeno pepper removed from the inside of his foot. Yup, you heard that right. In fact, here’s a picture of it… The “pepper” was actually a Morton’s Neuroma, and it turns out this condition is fairly common. So I asked him to share a little bit about his experience…Read the rest of this entry →

Through this blog, I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to interview a lot of really strong and inspiring mamas out there – today’s interview with fellow Trango athlete Melissa Love is no exception! And since HER family dynamic is similar to what OUR family dynamic is going to be in just a couple of weeks, her story is especially interesting to me. Read on to find out how cool she is… Name: Melissa LoveCrag-kiddos: Two sons, 4 and 1.Currently in: Boulder, COClimbing for: 20+ years Favorite Climbing Area: Rifle Canyon, CO. It works out great that Rifle happens to be…Read the rest of this entry →

Recently I was contacted by McKenzi Taylor of Rock Climbing Women about the possibility of advertising her new website on Cragmama. I’m pretty selective about what/whose graphics I place up on my sidebar – nothing’s more annoying to me than having to scroll through endless ads when I’m reading a blog post. That being said, her topic (rock climbing + women), certainly seemed to fit my niche, so I did a little more digging. After hearing McKenzi’s story, I realized she definitely had an idea that I could get behind so…..tada! If you look on the sidebar to the right…Read the rest of this entry →

Some of you may recall a Cragmama facebook post a few weeks ago that mentioned our family being interviewed by our local NBC TV station at our climbing gym, Inner Peaks. The producer’s idea was to create a hopefully endearing story about how climbing has been a family affair for us – first as a couple, then as a family of 3, and now as a soon-to-be family of 4. The shoot took a little over an hour on a weekday morning, and entailed us all being interviewed individually (including a chat with C as he was tying in…Read the rest of this entry →

I’ve interviewed a lot of climbing families over the last couple of years, and all of them have had one thing in common – the kids learned from their parents…that is, until I interviewed the Lightners. The story of university professor Constance Lightner and her 13 year old climbing champion Kai is as different as it is inspiring. Kai has competed for several years in both indoor sport climbing and bouldering, with a host of 1st place finishes at a national level. In fact, just over a week ago he was crowned National Champion yet again at the USA Sport Climbing…Read the rest of this entry →

If you’ve been following the recent kid-crushage that’s been happening up at the Red River Gorge this spring, you might recognize one of the names in today’s family interview. In fact, Deadpoint Magazine recently wrote an article on this family after 12 year old Harry ticked his hardest send to date – Southern Smoke (5.14c). Fortunately, the Edwards’ also agreed to answer some of my questions about family life at the crag as well. Here’s what they had to say when I caught up with them via email… Names: Rob (44), Jennifer (37), Samantha (15), Harry (12), Preston (9) From:…Read the rest of this entry →

A lot of times I wonder if the only reason our family has remained as active and adventurous as we have is because we have just one child…Then I met Charmagne Cox. Her inspiring story leaves no question as to whether or not its possible to continue recreational pursuits with multiples…and by multiples I don’t just mean multiple children, I mean MULTIPLES. As in TRIPLETS. Let that sink in for a moment – 3 kids to carry in to the crag (in addition to all of your climbing gear), 3 kids to get down for a nap at the base…Read the rest of this entry →

As many of you know, my work on the Central Piedmont climbing guidebook I’ve been slaving over for the past year and a half is drawing to a close. Almost all of the writing is in the publisher’s hands at this point, who is now working feverishly on the layout with the guy making the topo maps. That being said, I just wrapped up the a final interview that will be featured in the Crowders section. It’s an interview with a local climber who is wrapping up an inspiring endeavor, and since it had been a while since I’d posted an interview…Read the rest of this entry →

I love hearing stories about other moms and dads who aren’t afraid to get right back out there on the rock! That’s why when I heard it through the grapevine (aka Facebook) that my friend (and new mom) Lisa Bistreich-Wolfe had just gotten back from a family trip to the New River Gorge, I had to find out more. Turns out Lisa, her husband Richard, and 11 week old Baby T had a marvelous weekend – and she was more than happy to give me a play by play worth sharing! Here’s what Lisa had to say when I…Read the rest of this entry →

It’s been a couple of months since I’ve done any interviews, so I figured the best way to make up for lost time was to bring you two interviews for the price of one! Prepare to be absolutely amazed (and also a little bit sheepish, since these boys are more than likely hiking laps up your projects for their warm-ups…) Cameron and Jonathan Horst (or Cam and Jon for short) are the sons of training guru Eric Horst, author of numerous books on climbing-specific training, including the well-known titles “How to Climb 5.12,” and “Training for Climbing.” I first met…Read the rest of this entry →

Some of you might recall my Misty Mountain harness review from last week. I actually received a lot of feedback on the post via comments, emails, facebook, and twitter. A few had more specific questions about the harness, several took the time to say how much they loved their own Misty gear, and still others remarked that they were appreciative of the introduction since they’d never heard of Misty Mountain before. Now, for those of you reading in the Southeast, I realize that sounds absolutely ridiculous, almost sacrilegious even – how could any climber worth their chalk not have heard…Read the rest of this entry →

Our climbing escapades this past weekend were a little different than most. We headed north to Pilot Mountain, with the intention of getting on some lesser travelled routes for guidebook research, but most importantly to support a good friend celebrating a physical and mental comeback from injury. So instead of a typical trip report I decided to post an interview instead. Although today’s interview is not about a fellow Cragmama, keep reading and I promise you won’t be disappointed. I first met Bennett Harris in January on a day trip excursion to the Asheboro boulderfield in central NC. Of course…Read the rest of this entry →

I’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback on my last interview with Aimee Roseborrough – I think its definitely safe to say that this segment of my blog is definitely worth continuing! Today’s interview is with someone who in some ways I consider to be the “Original Cragmama.” Christine Millbern was the first woman I ever saw climbing while pregnant, and her family was the first I ever saw take a baby to the crag. I always loved running into them out at the crag, and we had the pleasure of taking several trips with their family – it was obvious that their whole family…Read the rest of this entry →

Since the start of Cragmama, I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to cross paths with several strong and amazing women – women who are not content to settle for the status quo of abandoning adventure at the first sign of an expanding belly. Women who are committed to getting not just themselves but their whole families outside enjoying nature – whether its climbing, biking, hiking, or building treehouses! So I’ve decided to start a new section on my blog dedicated to all the mamas out there who believe that starting a family doesn’t mean an end to outdoor fun. Interviews with Moms that Rock will be a place…Read the rest of this entry →